Part-272
He adjusted the pou his hip, feeling the weight of the ten small stones he had collected earlier. They weren’t much, just simple rocks, but they fit snugly in his palm and had bee an ued part of his strategy. With every fight in this dungeon, he had learned somethihe goblin archers had always been his biggest annoyaheir arrows relentless, their aim uny. But he had learo fight back, and today, he was ready.
The cold, musty air of the dungeon prickled his skin, as the timeless energy that suffused the pce hummed faintly in his ears. The distant flicker of torchlight illumihe path ahead, casting eerie shadows along the stone walls. James exhaled sharply and started forward, knowily what awaited him.
The familiar pull of the dungeon’s challenges always made his senses e alive. Today, he wasn’t merely reag. He was ready to dominate.
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As he ehe first chamber, his eyes quickly sed the room. As expected, foblin archers perched atop ledges on opposite sides, with four sword-wielding goblins prowling the ground below. They moved like clockwork, meically, as though trolled by the same twisted, unseen force. The archers heir arrows with precision, and the swordsmen paced iory circles, waiting for the right moment to strike.
James wasted no time. He plucked one of the stones from his poud hurled it at the goblin archer. His practice had paid off—the sto the goblin squarely in the chest, knog it off its perch. The creature tumbled to the ground with a screech, writhing in pain as it struggled tain its footing.
Ign the swordsmen for the moment, James pivoted, his wooden sword raised to deflect the ining arrows from the remaining archers. With a series of quick steps and precise parries, he closed the distaween himself and the fallen archer. The creature had barely mao lift its head before James’ sword came crashing down. He unleashed his **Earth Divider** skill with practiced ease, the wooden bde glowing faintly as it cut through the air, cleaving the goblin in two. The creature vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind only the fai echo of its existence.
One down, seven to go.
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James didn’t have much time to celebrate. As soon as the first archer disied, he was forced to pivot back toward the remaining threats. The goblin archer drew its bow with chilling efficy, and James, reag instinctively, reached for aone. His throw, however, went wide, missing the gobliirely and giving it the perfect opportunity to fire.
An arrow whizzed past his head, close enough that James felt the wind from its passing. He cursed under his breath. His focus had slipped for a moment, and in this dungeon, even a momentary pse could be fatal.
A swordsman lu him from the side, its jagged bde slig through the air. James barely had time to react, twisting his body out of the way at the st sed. With a grunt of effort, he tered, driving the hilt of his sword upward in a quick uppercut motion—his **Kangaroo Cut** skill activated with brutal force. The wooden sword ected with the goblin’s jaw, sending the creature sprawling backward, stunned.
